Death and Hell

Volume 3, No. 4

"And death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in
them"

The words above are taken from Revelation, chapter
20. The context is as follows:

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were
judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works. And the sea gave up
the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they
were judged every man according to their works."
( verses 12-13)

These verses speak of the time of the resurrection
and the judgment. At that time, the responsible dead
from under the earth, and in the sea will be raised
for judgment.

Death and Hell?

The confusing element in this verse is the
expression "death and hell." These words are
difficult to understand because there are many false
ideas associated with the abode of the dead.

The word that is translated "hell" is taken from
the Greek word "hades", which means the place of the
dead, or in very simple terms, the grave.

This word is similar to the Hebrew word "sheol"
which is used in the Old Testament for the
grave, or the place of the dead.

The State of the Dead

In our theme verses, we are told that it is the
"dead" who are resurrected. Death is the cessation of
life. Therefore, these individuals have been sleeping
in the dust, as we are told in Daniel 12: 2. They
have been at rest in the grave waiting for the
resurrection. There is no place in between life
and death other than the grave. There would be no
confusion if we understood these Bible truths.

The popular theories of a burning hell, where
souls said to be tormented, are completely
discredited when we recognize that there can be no
torment when a person is unconscious in
death.

Eternal life is offered as a reward to the
righteous. It would be totally inconsistent for a
merciful God to reward wicked people with life
everlasting, and then punish them eternally.

Hell is the Grave

The plain truth is that hell is just another
word which means the grave. This truth has been
distorted by translators who believed in the popular
superstitions.

The truth about death and hell ( the grave), is a
source of some comfort when we lay to rest a friend
who never embraced the hope of the gospel.

It is not much consolation, but at least they will
"REST IN PEACE". Those old tombstones with
R.I.P written on them were consistent with the
true teachings of the Bible.

"I am he that liveth, and
was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and
of death."
(Rev 1:18 )

The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is one
that is filled with signs and symbols. It is a
difficult book to understand.

It is a prophecy of the things that will happen in
the future, and therefore, It is an important book
for the servants of God. A blessing is promised for
those who read and understand this prophecy.

Introduction

In the first chapter of the book, Jesus introduced
himself to John. He asks John to write seven letters
to the 7 ecclesias that are in Asia.

Part of his introduction is quoted at the top.
These words are a message of hope and comfort to all
of the servants of God, in every age.

Jesus is alive! He was dead, but now he has
been raised from the dead and he is alive for
evermore.

The Firstfruits

What a wonderful introduction. Think about the
Master's joy. Alive again, after a terrible
trial and crucifixion. Not only alive, but having the
power to be able to offer others an opportunity to
share in his glory.

Christ is only the firstfruits of them who have
been awakened from the sleep of death. His servants
will also be raised to life when he returns. ( see 1
Cor 15:20-26, 2 Tim. 4:1)

The Keys

He told John that he now has "the keys of hell
and of death." Think about what this means. It is
now within his power to unlock the grave and
to remove the bonds of death.

He has the keys. No man has ever been
granted this power. But it is not the power that
Jesus was motivated by. It was the hope of victory
over death, first for himself, and then for his
friends. This is the joy that encouraged him.

Hell and Death

When we consider the implication of Christ having
the keys of hell, we ought to sense an obvious
conclusion. What became of the popular guardian of
the grave?

If there were a devil, then one thing would
be certain. He no longer has a job.

We know however, that the devil is only a
symbol and that the words "hell" and the "devil"
were never intended to have the interpretations that
are now taught by the popular religions of this
world.

The Bible Hell means "the grave" and the "devil"
is a word that means false accuser, or adversary to
God.

The devil destroyed

Christ destroyed the devil, or the desire
to sin in himself, when he died for our sins. ( see
Hebrews 2:14) The devil was destroyed, and the keys
of hell ( the grave) were given to Christ.

His sacrifice and the victory that he gained over
death solved a lot of problems for mankind.

There is no longer any reason to be confused by
the philosophies and superstitions of men. We know
what really happens at death. Death no longer has
any sting, and the grave no victory. ( see 1 Cor
15: 55-57)

Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.

"If thy right eye offend
thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee:
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thy whole
body should be cast into
hell."
( Matthew 5:29)

The Master taught in parables. He encouraged those
who heard him to think about his lesson.

In Matthew 5, during his Sermon on the Mount, he
spoke the parable at the top of this page.

This sounds like a drastic measure, to pluck
out your eye, so that the whole body would not
perish. If he were speaking in a very literal sense,
it would be an extremely painful sacrifice for a
disciple to make.

One-eyed solution?

Think about it. Would the loss of an eye prevent
you from looking with the other? And would your lust
be reduced by 50% ?

It is obvious that this parable has another
meaning. Jesus wanted us to think about it.

Single Eye

Later in this same sermon, Jesus taught that "if
therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light."(Chap 6:22)

When we are committed to God with a single
purpose, not wavering between our carnal desires and
our spiritual hopes, then we have symbolically
plucked out one of our eyes. The remaining eye is
single and therefore dedicated to following the
Master.

Cast into Hell??

But what about the rest of the story? What of the
consequence if our eye is not single? Jesus said that
the danger is that our entire body may be cast
into hell.

We are again confronted with a translation
problem. This time, the word "hell" is translated
from the Greek word "Gehenna." Gehenna means "the
valley of Hinnon; a valley of Jerus. It is a word
that is used figuratively for a place of
everlasting punishment.

City Dump

This valley, near the city of Jerusalem was used
as a dump. In those days, it was common for fires to
be set to consume the rubbish and other materials
that were discarded there.

We understand that this area was also used for the
disposal of the bodies of criminals, or the poor, who
had no one to pay for their tomb.

Jesus used the natural places and things around
him for his parables. The character of this dumping
area made it a logical choice for the lesson that he
wanted to teach.

Those who listened and understood his parable
would strive to figuratively pluck out an eye,
or cut off their hand. They would try to avoid ending
up with a fate like those poor individuals whose body
would end up in a burning dump.

Superstition

We can understand why the teachings of Jesus were
often confused. His contemporaries were heavily
influenced by the superstitions of the world around
them. They listened only for support of the
philosophies of men and did not meditate on the real
lesson.

How sad it is that teachings that were intended to
make men wise unto salvation, became a stumbling
block to those who were not interested enough to seek
out the real meaning.

Do we have ears to hear the teachings of the
Master? Use your wisdom to seek him while he may be
found.

"For whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with
thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest." ( Eccles 9:10)

THOU WILT NOT LEAVE MY SOUL
IN HELL.

The words above are from Psalm 16, verse 10 They
help to illustrate how the translators of the Bible
often confused the reader by using words that have
more than one meaning.

Fortunately, there are other translations, and
some of the more recent versions have used words that
we understand better today.

For example, the NIV Bible expresses this same
verse as follows: "because you will not abandon
me to the grave, nor will you let
your Holy One see decay."

Soul and Hell

The words "soul" and "hell" (from the KJV), are
words that suggest entirely different ideas. Most
people think of the word "soul" as a word that
describes the spirit of a man.

Soul comes from the Hebrew word "nephesh" which
means "a breathing creature" or a living person. The
NIV translated "nephesh" correctly by using the word
"me" in Psalm 16:10.

The word "hell" promotes the concept of a place
where the dead are tormented and punished. This word
is translated from the Hebrew word "sheol." The NIV
version uses the word "grave." Grave is a word that
we understand and use today. It accurately describes
to the modern man, what the Psalmist actually meant
in the verse.

A Prayer for Christ

If we read the entire section of the 16th Psalm
(from verse 8-11, we will learn how these words must
have been very comforting to Jesus as he
contemplated his coming sacrificial death on the
cross. Reading from the NIV, the Psalmist
prophesies:

"I have set the LORD always before me. Because he
is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore
my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body
also will rest secure, because you will not
abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy
One see decay. You have made known to me the path
of life; you will fill me with joy in your
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right
hand." (Psalm 16:8-11)

The Resurrection of Christ

We are told that: "Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures;and that he was buried,
and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures." ( 1 Cor 15:3-4)

During those three days, he was in the
tomb. He died for us, knowing from this Psalm,
that he would not remain in the grave long enough
to see corruption. Knowing also that he would be
raised up, to sit at God's right hand in the joy of
His presence.